Meet Matt Little, candidate for U.S. House in Minnesota's 2nd District | WCCO Election Guide
Matt Little, the DFL nominee in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District, is a former state senator and former Lakeville mayor. He is running for the open south metro seat vacated by Rep. Angie Craig, who ran for U.S. Senate but lost in the primary to Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
We have yet to receive a 60-second video pitch from Matt Little, but you can read below how he'd tackle Minnesota's top issues, from the national debt and health care to immigration, the economy and fraud.
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The federal government is running significant annual deficits. What specific federal spending would you cut or protect, and what tax changes, if any, would you support to address the national debt?
We can protect programs that matter, like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, by managing our federal debt, cutting taxes on working families to stimulate economic growth, using tax-code changes so the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share, and prioritizing spending on programs that actually give people a hand-up to work and financial stability.
I'll fight to repeal the One Big Beautiful Bill's tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and raise the corporate tax rate. I'll close the offshore, carried-interest, and stepped-up basis loopholes, and pass a 2% wealth tax on households over $50 million.
On spending, letting Medicare negotiate with Big Pharma would lower the deficit and inflation at the same time. Fixing our broken healthcare system would save over $1 trillion. And a government that can't account for its defense budget has lost control of its own house – so I'll demand real Pentagon oversight and stop overpaying contractors for federal work.
What changes would you support to federal health care policy, including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid?
This fight is personal to me because when my mom was seriously sick, she spent years battling the healthcare system.
Incremental patchwork fixes have failed for over fifty years. Medicare for All will lower the cost of both Medicare and private insurance by lowering the average age and utilizing a cost-neutral system that already exists. Despite what so many people want you to think, we can solve this problem if we have the will to fight for affordable health care for everyone. It's time to create a new structure, with incentives that reward excellent health outcomes instead of insurance company stock prices.
Additionally, Medicare only recently began negotiating drug prices. but the current list of drugs is too limited. We should expand Medicare and Medicaid's ability to negotiate for lower prices on most prescription medicines. That would lower costs and save billions in taxpayer dollars.
What immigration policies would you support at the federal level, including border security measures and any pathway to legal status for people currently in the country without authorization?
Immigrants have always been America's greatest advantage. My wife, Coco, came here at ten knowing two words of English. Fifteen years later, she became a lawyer. That's the American dream.
Of course we need to control our borders to keep out terrorists, foreign operatives, drug cartels, and international gangs. But we can only control our borders when the entire immigration system actually works – and that means rewriting immigration law and building applications, permits, and immigration courts that function. I support comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and protecting and expanding DACA.
Operation Metro Surge proved ICE cannot be reformed. It must be completely replaced with an agency that obeys the law and the Constitution. Federal agents should be unmasked, identify themselves, and have probable cause or a judicial warrant. Due process is the cornerstone of our democracy.
What would you do in Congress to support jobs and economic growth in Minnesota, including your position on tariffs and international trade agreements?
Trump's reckless tariffs are a tax on Minnesota farmers and families and have strained relationships with our allies and neighbors. I'll fight to move tariff-setting power from the White House back to Congress, rebuild our relationships, and pursue smart trade policies that create good jobs and open markets for American products.
My premise is simple: if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to afford a decent life. That's how an economy grows. Building more housing puts construction workers to work and lets families live where jobs are. Expanding the Child Tax Credit, child care subsidies, and universal pre-K keeps parents working and jobs filled. Capping student loan interest lets graduates realize the economic benefits of their education. And protecting every worker's right to organize raises wages for union and non-union workers alike. When families can afford their lives here, they spend here.
Minnesota has been at the center of some of the largest public-program fraud cases in the country in recent years. What would you do in Congress to strengthen oversight and prevent this kind of fraud in the future?
Fighting fraud and corruption is one of my top priorities. Here in Minnesota, private organizations defrauding the Minnesota government is a huge problem. I'll expand federal support for state anti-fraud units and require that federal dollars for public programs are truly administered by the public, since much of this fraud grew out of privatization. I'd fund grants for states to modernize their technology and streamline applications so we can easily track where every taxpayer dollar goes.
But Donald Trump's corruption and self-dealing have cost Americans billions of dollars, enriching himself and his family while driving up prices and defrauding working families.
We should prosecute fraud – all of it – regardless of who commits it or their friendship with Donald Trump. That same commitment belongs in Washington: pardon process transparency, independent inspectors general, and a ban on presidents selling crypto for access.